You did it! All of your applying and networking has paid off. You’ve gotten a contract offer, but before you can actually start working, there are a few housekeeping chores that need to be done.
Have your ID ready for paperwork
Just like with a full-time job, you’ll have paperwork to fill out. Some of it is basic demographic information, some of it is information related to your pay–direct deposit information, IRS forms. You will more than likely need some form of ID, depending on whether you are on a W2 or 1099 contract. Also, have a designated place to keep your completed forms to make sure you filled them all out.
Onboard yourself
Some clients do a good job at onboarding any employee whether full-time or contract. Some don’t. You may need to do this job yourself. Read the company mission and value statements. Make sure to log in to any platforms or software you need and familiarize yourself with the basic menu functions. You may need to reach out to other members of the team. Make sure you know what you need to do to get paid (you may submit a timesheet or an invoice, or maybe payment comes after certain deliverables). Have your questions ready.
"Don't take on so much work that you neglect your business."
Maximize your meeting time with the project lead
Many times, the person heading up the project may be a full-time employee or a business owner. They may be managing multiple projects. You may not get a lot of their time. After all, they hired a contractor because they needed an expert to help them out. You’ll mostly work independently. You may not get a lot of time with your project lead, so make sure to have your questions about the project ready.
Set your schedule and notify others
This is a big one. Most contractors are working on multiple contracts simultaneously. Make sure you set your schedule and you plan to work the maximum amount of hours the contract requires. You may not work the maximum all the time, especially in the beginning, but you need to have the availability. Make sure to let other team members know when you are available if they need to contact you. You may or may not need to notify others when you are actually working depending on how flexible your contract is.
Continue to run your business
THIS. IS. HUGE. Don’t take on so much work that you neglect your business. It’s important to keep networking and generating job leads, especially if your contract is 3 months or less. 3 months can go by very quickly. To minimize breaks in your income, you want to keep the jobs coming. You may need to update your resume and send it to recruiters or others in your network.
Reflect
You can’t be surprised I mentioned this one. Take some time to journal about this upcoming contract and project. What are you most excited about? What do you think will be the most challenging for you? What skills does this project use? What skills will this project allow you to strengthen or develop? It’s always interesting to compare where your thoughts are in the beginning with where they end up at the end. All this reflection will give you further clarity on what your specialty is, how you add value, and who your ideal client is.
Bottom line, just start
If you notice, I didn’t mention anything about setting up your website or whether you should organize as an LLC or SCorp. These things can come later (unless you get a contract that requires an LLC). The key to starting to freelance is starting to freelance. You just have to start. Start telling people what services you offer. Start applying for jobs. Register with an employment agency or job-curating website. Starting will give you the momentum you need to do all the other stuff–design your website, open a business bank account, apply for an LLC or whatever way you would like to organize your business.
I plan to write a series of blog posts on freelancing. If you would like to be notified when I publish a new blog post or have a topic you would like me to cover, join my email list.
Comments